Are you here

The truth about cell phones on the plane

The whole truth about Mobile telefnah the plane. Are mobile phones can lead to the collapse of an airliner? Several researchers decided to test this claim.

Passenger aircraft are actually forbidden to include mobile phones in flight. Some argue that the phones can lead to faulty electronics board aircraft. Others say that this is just a ploy to get the passengers to use the expensive phones that are installed in the aircraft.

Wishing to understand this question, the researchers decided to recreate the cockpit with all appliances. Then, they could see how they will affect mobile phones. The researchers bought the navigation and communication equipment - all that can affect radio. After a day of hard work they have to get a working cockpit. These devices easily able to detect beacon airport navigation system in San Francisco.

How do mobile phones can affect the plane? There are two options.

First, turn off your phone's signal may be a radio signal from a tower or lighthouse.

Secondly, the signal may interfere directly with the electronics of the navigation equipment.

The researchers felt that the interference - it is more probable version. Almost all electronic devices emit radio frequency radiation, whether game console or a DVD-player. To determine which power radio waves emitted by mobile phones, the researchers needed a spectrum analyzer. They are also used in isolation from external influences container, a so-called Faraday cage.

It is entirely made of brass wire and not miss radio. Inside it the researchers measured the radiation from the three items that often take passengers to board the plane. Radio emission from the CD-player, MP3 players and portable game console appeared faint. But as soon as the mobile phone has been activated, the spectrum analyzer recorded a strong jump. There were reasons to believe that the output power of a mobile phone can interfere with aircraft equipment.

Enlisting the help of an aerospace engineer Jeff Guth, researchers have tried to simulate a radio link between the airport and the aircraft. Also, they had a generator of cellular communication, through which it was possible to try to destroy this relationship. Mobile generator can create waves of varying strength. Through it you can see what force should be a signal that it could affect the radio equipment in the cockpit.

"After a long" bombardment "

Equipment no distortion was observed "

First the researchers started the test using the waves of the GSM standard 1800. Telephones with this standard are used by millions of people all over the world. However, after a long "bombardment" of the equipment, no distortions were observed. Even when the signal in 100 times exceeded the signal strength of telephones, the aircraft equipment was operating in the normal mode. But, when the generator was reconfigured to the frequency of 800-900 MHz, strange things began to happen. The arrow of one device, which shows where the aircraft is located relative to the runway, began to deviate strongly. In fact, according to the experiment, devices operating at the frequency of 800-900 MHz could greatly influence the navigation equipment of the aircraft.

This was only an intermediate result of the study, because all the experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions. The researchers decided to go to the airport and turn on the mobile frequency generator in a real plane. For several hours, they subjected the aircraft to waves of very different frequencies. Used as old analog phones standard PCS, and modern smartphones. Many of them operate at the frequency of 800-900 MHz. However, nothing happened. None of the phones had an impact on the communication system of the aircraft with the ground. Mobile sabotage failed. The fact is that unlike the laboratory, all kilometers of wires passing through the aircraft are shielded. Therefore, no matter what signal was applied to them, this did not affect the operation of the instruments.

"Check all for exposure

Interference from mobile phones too expensive.

Nobody wants to take risks, that's all. "

Why, then, there is a ban on the use of mobile phones in the aircraft? It seems that airlines simply reinsured.

Expert: The aircraft has a huge amount of equipment and systems. Check all to the effect of interference from mobile phones too expensive. Nobody wants to take risks, that's all. This is important, given that the new phones running on different frequencies, appear every month.

On the part of the International Civil Aviation Organization safer simply prohibit the use of phones on board. It is always one possibility out of a million that interference from the phone could affect the operation of onboard systems.